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Author
Topic: can someone clarify why is it a big deal to take the meds at the same time?. (Read 2513 times)

My boyfriend started meds 4 days ago( combibir and efavirenz) 3 pills a day , morning at night.The doctor said to take the meds at breakfast and dinner, but didnt mention that they had to be taken every 12 hours .Yesterday he took them at 8 30 in the morning and didnt take the night dosis until 1 am.Is this a big deal and why? should he take them every 12 hours otherwise the drugs may not be effective?Another question......Whats the porcentage of people getting fat loss on the face from this meds...and does it happen inmediately when you start taking the meds or it happens years after.THANK YOU.

This article, written by Tim Horn in 2005, will help you understand the answers to your questions and more. Your partner's doctor should answer any remaining questions. This article is comprehensive, but you'll find it very helpful. http://www.thebody.com/content/art1273.html

i was kind of worried last night, about him not taking the meds on time the first4 days of his treatment, i had a talk with him and he agreed to take them exactly every 12 hours starting today....i hope is not too late.Could he have developed resistance to the meds because he didnt take them on time the first 4 days of treatment?.ANY advice is greatly appreciated.........

Peter, as long as he took both doses every day, he should be ok. Once his VL is undetectable, he will have a little more lee-way in his dosing time, but for now he should take the Sustiva (efavirenz) as close to 24 hours apart and the Combivir as close to 12 hours apart as he can.

Unfortunately, both of the drugs in Combivir can cause lipo, but it doesn't happen to everyone who takes these drugs. It also won't happen right away, it takes time to develop.

He might want to change to Truvada if it is available where you are. If it isn't, the component drugs in Truvada (Viread [tenofovir DF] and Emtriva [emtricitabine]) may be available separately. These drugs don't cause lipo. This is something he should discuss with his doctor. You can read about the various drugs in the Treatments for hiv section of this website.

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